Barely Human
by outlook96
Summary: On the runaway from a pair of hunters, newly turned vampire Tatum Mikaelson finds herself in a quaint Californian town named Beacon Hills. Little does she know the town is crawling with supernatural and she has just entered a district on the brink of war. She discovers herself to be more human then previously thought after rekindling an old hatred and finding awe for a human boy...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my lovely followers. I really need to stop starting new stories. I promise I'll update my other ones, but this idea came to me in a dream and I just had to get it out. Let me know if you want more. Oh, also, I am not brilliant enough to come up with the plot of teen wolf, but I'm mediocre enough to come up with my character Tatum.**

* * *

A bunch of hunters burning your house down only hours ago doesn't exactly make me the happiest vampire sprinting through the woods. Could be worse, I suppose. I could've missed the scent of the mountain ash mine hidden underneath my "come back with a warrant" door mat. That was probably the only thing I missed in that apartment. Well that, and the old blind lady next door who used to tell me stories of her nursing in World War II.

I felt sorry for the poor bastards that blew up in the explosion, along with the rest of my stuff. It was a small building, only ten people or so, and it was nastier than you could imagine, but it was home, a temporary one at that.

The hardest part about being hunted was having to relocate every few months—once they found you again.

I sprinted past a large wooden sign reading "Beacon Hills". I supposed that was my new location. Now, to find a home.

"Ugh," I groaned, as I stepped in a giant patch of mud, my leg sinking down to mid-calf. "Fuck." Way to start off the move, Tatum.

I ran a hand through my soaking brunette hair, letting it fall over my shoulder. Breathing a few recovery breaths, I slowed to a steady walk. Running a mile a minute tended to tire a person out, even someone like me who didn't actually need to breathe to stay alive.

I was sure I lost the two men that were after me behind. It was the same two as last time. I couldn't get a good look at their faces, but they seemed familiar to me, just the way they walked, the way they shot wooden stakes at me, using their brawn arms to reload as I flew into the forest. One was tall, with longer hair, the other shorter, with a faux-hawk and bow legs. Their black impala sat in the lot right next to my royal blue 69' chevy camaro. I hope it got destroyed, just as mine did, in the ricochet of events.

I'd miss that baby. She ran beautifully, for an old car, and I only had to threaten the previous owner's life to get her.

I sighed, kicking a pile of leaves with my foot as I scampered along. My bloody—but healing— knuckles remained in the pockets of my leather jacket.

For once it would be nice to remain somewhere for more than a month— but no they just had to come after the young vampire who barely did anything to threaten her life. And I mean that—truly. I rarely killed anyone, only if they fought me on it. Most of the time I let them go—made them forget. I could do that, make them forget, it was one of the many abilities of mine. It's a mind compulsion thing. It's nothing like brainwashing—more like making them do something that they already want to do. I wasn't very good at it, in fact, most of the time it didn't work so I ended up snapping their necks anyways, but at least I tried.

I'm not cruel.

At least, I don't try to be.

I'm just trying to survive.

* * *

Man, this was a quiet town. I strolled down the windy road, encompassed by foliage, for a solid two hours before I heard the sound of a roaring vehicle speeding down the path. I slipped along the side of the road, ready to pounce on my food. Before I moved in anywhere, I needed a quick bite to eat.

I could see the car now. It was a jeep—dark blue. Similar color to my camaro. Ah, how I missed her.

The headlights flickered to a high beam as it came around the corner, and it skidded a bit in the rain. Man, whoever was driving needed to be somewhere quick.

I almost felt bad jumping in front of the vehicle, arms waving in a windmill motion. I stumbled in the rain, slipping on the cement as the jeep came to a screeching stop inches before my deceased body.

"Oh my God!" It was a teenager. "Oh my God… are you okay? Oh my God. You just came out of nowhere."

The boy came around the front of the vehicle, his hands above his heads waving spastically and his jaw hung ajar.

I coughed once or twice, using my damp sleeve to wipe away the wet hair in my view.

"Are you okay?" he repeated, "You look cold." He leaned down towards me, his arms hooking under me and bringing me erect in one swift motion. "I'm headed to the hospital, quick, get in the car!" He told me.

I just stood at him, staring wide eyed as the boy moved to stand face to face with me.

His heart skipped a beat as he did a take back.

"A-Are you coming?" He asked, his thumbs hitchhiking over his shoulder to point towards the still-running jeep. "Come on, you look hurt."

But I couldn't. I couldn't move. The way this boy's face stared at me with the big puppy eyes, brown like chocolate, and the way his thick, crazy hair fell over his forehead as the rain poured down made me stop. His face dotted with freckles, like the stars in the sky, and his lips parted so slightly-forming a light pink heart.

Ugh! Nasty. What was wrong with me? I could've been done feeding by now.

I shook my stupor, and tensed my body, fists clenched.

I felt my eyes burn red, glowing in the dim lights of the preserve, and my gums stung as a pair of piercing fangs erupted in my mouth. I hissed, moving towards him.

"Woah," he took a step back, eyes wide, but not as wide as I expected them to be. Every time I took a step forward, he retreated. Why wasn't he that scared? I mean, he was frightened, that I could tell by the sound of his heartbeat, but scared? Not very much.

"Never seen you before," He commented, stumbling backwards against his jeep, "One of Theo's?" He yelled over the pounding rain. It hammered against the metal roof of the running vehicle. "You know, I didn't exactly see all your faces at the nemeton, must have missed your pretty eyes." He swiftly opened the door as I lunged for him, causing me to smack my face against the glass.

I groaned.

He reached for something in the back seat of his jeep, but I got to him quickly (After groaning once more, of course. If I hadn't taken so damn long to observe the human he would've been dead by now).

I yanked him by the collar of his blue and green hoodie, and pulled him outside, shutting the door behind me.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" He grumbled, "I left the keys in there! The doors locked, how am I going to get back in?!"

Damn, grabbing a bite to eat had never been so difficult for me. Not even in my human years.

I hissed again, brows furrowing together. The lack of fear in the mortal made me frustrated, so I pounced for him. My teeth sunk into his neck, and I began drinking.

"SHIT!" He screamed. I thrusted his body against the jeep once more, which caused him to go limp. He was still conscious; he was just being cooperative now. I could drink his body dry. I could guzzle the warm liquid down until there was nothing left in him, but something inside told me to stop—told me to keep him alive. I didn't even know the kid. What was I doing? I suppose I wasn't that hungry. Leaving the last bit of blood left in him to keep him alive, I transformed back.

I lifted my head in the sky, panting as the rest of the fluid ran down my throat like melted chocolate. Most of my face washed off by the rain, causing a water fall of red to spill over my chin. I didn't care; I just remained in bliss as I let the boy recover.

He coughed, hunching over as he clutched his neck. "WHAT THE HELL?!" he screamed, holding both hands to his wound. He shot a face at me, and I just smirked.

"WHAT THE—"

"Come here," I interrupted him, rolling my eyes.

"NO!" He yelled "PLEASE! NO MORE!" He begged, as I yanked him up by the collar to face me.

He was tense as I pulled him up to my face. Our noses were barely touching, his warm breath on my cold lips like a heater in winter. His respiration was fast, unsteady. Now he was afraid—but some kind of scent in the air, a chemosignal, told me it wasn't from me. He was afraid of something else.

"Please…" He whispered, barely audible if it wasn't for my vampire hearing. "Please…. I-I have to be somewhere—I have to go somewhere."

My green eyes met his chocolate ones, and I focused. For a split second I wondered if I should snap the boy's neck, but then that hint of admiration for the boy came washing back, and I relaxed. I was curious, as well; curious to why he wasn't scared of me, and what he was truly frightened of.

Before I did anything, I bit into my wrist.

"Awgh! Gross," he grimaced and turned his head away, bottom lip quivering. "What are you… are… oh God…" He coughed in result of gagging.

I sighed, shaking my head.

"Hey, come here." I curled a finger at him, signaling for him to turn towards me if he wanted help.

"What? No!"

Again, with the difficultness. My lips hardened into a line, and I glared at him. "Fine," I concluded, grabbing the back of his head. I moved his neck fragile skull towards my wrist and then repositioned to lean his head back. I let the blood from my wrist drip down his throat, and smirked when I saw his eyes go alarmingly wide.

He mumbled under my skin, but I ignored him. For my sake, I had to heal him, that way there would be no news reports of 'cougars' attacking people around town.

I could see the skin slowly start to knit together where I had previously bit him, and the last traces of bodily fluid washed away in the rain as a small pink scar replaced the wound. It would be completely gone in an hour or so, no traces to be left whatsoever.

When I let go of the boy's head, he started heaving.

"Oh…. Oh my God…" he spat, curled up as he stumbled around on the road. "I can't believe you just did that oh my freaking…" He coughed again.

Once again, I yanked the boy straight. His mouth still had blood on it, making him look like a toddler with chocolate, which caused me to stifle a giggle.

"Look at me," I ordered him.

He did, surprisingly.

My eyes focused on his, and I tried to work my magic.

"You will forget this. You will continue driving and you will forget what just happened…"I spoke the words, hoping he would repeat them back and the compulsion would work.

"Um… No." He frowned

"Dammit…" I cursed, releasing the boy.

He fell to the floor, and I grumbled.

"S..Something… wrong?" He asked, using the jeep to pull him up.

I shook my head, choosing to forget about the boy and spare his life. Instead, I used my elbow to break the lock on the door, and opened it for him to get in.

Why was I helping this boy?

Once again, I shook my head and sped off into the forest again.

"Hey! Ah… Okay…" I heard him murmur to myself as I continued to run.

I rolled my eyes again. Silly human. If only all my meals were that lucky. The boy should have been begging for his life by the time I had left him. So why wasn't he?

Curiosity got the best of me, as it always did, and that fulfilled my decision to stay in the quaint little town called 'Beacon Hills'.

* * *

 **A/N: Thoughts? Questions? Queries? R &R and tell me what you think in the comments. **


	2. Chapter 2

Every vampire has to die before they become part of the supernatural. Let me tell you, mine wasn't pretty. I mean, dying generally isn't 'pretty' but on a scale of non-pretty to pretty, mine is definitely towards the end with shark attacks and jelly fish stings. Actually, that might've been more pleasant. That wouldn't have involved hours of burning alive.

 _My light feet pitter pattered silently along the make-shift path I had bush whacked only weeks ago. The forest was alive at night, and despite being raised brave by a family of hunters, the howling wolves still scared at me at two in the morning. I had only a few hours before we were on the move again. I didn't want to leave again. My sister and I were content here; but my dad's orders were unbeatable._

 _That is why I'm sneaking out at two o'clock in the morning. I was saying goodbye._

 _The trail ended moments later, and from there I had to find my way stumbling around the dark. I never took a flashlight anywhere with me—those only drew attention to the creepy crawlies in the night—and by creepy crawlies I certainly did not mean bugs. I was talking about the monsters you'd find under your bed, the beings that were the prime antagonist in horror movies, the fiends you'd hear about in a Stephen King novel. The creatures I and my family of three hunted. The supernatural._

 _"Crap," Despite my accident—prone nature, I managed to stub my foot underneath a tree root, and my face came spiraling towards the forest floor, only to stop inches from it in savior of my quick hands. "Shit," I cursed, looking down to my abdomen where I saw the alarming red seep into my grey tank top._

 _Even though I had just guzzled a glass of vampire blood the morning before, doesn't mean my wound would completely heal. Vampire blood worked wonders for healing though, I must admit. The only thing I envied about the bloodsuckers._

 _I regained myself and continued to lightly jog through the foliage. I could see the house from here now. Its vibrant white stood out in the night, and the fact that this was the only house in the woods. It was small, only one story. It was abandoned, and the overgrown moss seemed to encompass most of it, but it was still salvageable._

 _I smiled as I sprinted towards it, and I wiped my feet before hitting the door with the strength of my shoulder. It was a stiff door, having rusted over the years._

 _"Hello?" I called out, taking steady steps as I walked through the dusty living room._

 _I listened for a reply, but came up short._

 _I sighed, shrugging as I made my way to the small bedroom in the back corner of the house._

 _Werrrr…._

 _I pivoted to the creak that came from behind me, and in an instinct move, I pulled the blade that was tucked into my boot out, holding it out as a weapon. That was something I always carried with me. That, and a vile of vampire's blood._

 _Feeling the need to clutch that too, I shoved my hand in my jacket pocket, hugging my gloved fingers around it._

 _"Hello?" I called out again._

 _I'm not the best hunter, I know. But at least I tried._

 _Werrr…_

 _"Who's there?!" I yelled, pivoting again towards the bedroom._

 _"BAH!"_

 _I screamed as I felt a pair of hands grip my shoulder and shake me once._

 _I fell back, knife still in hand, and stumbled until I felt the bumpy manifestations of a rotting wall. "Shit Theo!" I screamed, seeing it was only on the expected guess in front of me. "You scared me!"_

 _He fell into a chortled fit of laughter._

 _"You're too easy," He shook his head…. "Ah…. That was totally worth it."_

 _"Asshole!" I swung my arm back and threw my knife at him, aiming for his chest._

 _Again, I know what you're thinking. Why would I throw a knife at my 'friend'?_

 _Well, just as expected, he caught it. That was the kind of reflexes you had when you were a werewolf. I know. I was totally going against some unspoken rule of hunters but I didn't care. I was never really much of a hunter anyway. They just dragged me around. My sister was the real dexterous person._

 _"Hey now!" He chuckled, tossing the knife in his brawn hands, "No need to throw things." He flipped it once more, then handed it back to me, blade in hand with handle facing towards me._

 _I stuck my tongue out at him and snatched it from him._

 _He rolled his eyes and pressed his hand on the fore of my back. "Come on," he towed me towards the bedroom._

 _Knowing the usual drill, I removed my jacket and placed my blade on the small counter besides the bed._

 _The sheets were the only thing in the house that looked new, for specific reasons of course. Theo had changed them after the first night we met here._

 _We didn't say anything as we undressed, which wasn't unusual for us. I shivered as I pulled my grey tank over my head, wrapping my arms around my bare body._

 _"Woah…" He pointed to the spot in my chest where I had been wounded. "You're bleeding…"_

 _I nodded, "Just a little wound after a battle with a wendigo the other night. No big deal," I shrugged, wincing after I regretted the painful movement._

 _"Did you take some vampire blood?" He asked, referring to it as if was Tylenol for headache, or advil for pain._

 _"I did this morning, yeah." I nodded, "Should be fine in a day or so. No biggie."_

 _He nodded as he placed his hands on his hips, boxers still hanging on. His eyes drifted from me to the floor, and I continued to take my pants off as he pondered for a moment, on what, I had no idea._

 _His eyes flickered to my jacket for a brief moment, and I followed him, wondering what on earth he was thinking about. My thought was cut short by him pushing me onto the bed, though._

 _I giggled as my head hit the soft cushion of the pillow, and I laughed some more as he climbed on top of me._

 _He planted kisses all down my neck, ones that made me shiver with excitement, and I felt his claws dig into my side as he let out a small growl. That usually happened whenever we got in bed together. He couldn't help but transform every now and again when he lost himself in me, and I didn't mind that, as long as he didn't scratch too hard._

 _His lips moved to my stomach, to my hip, and finally, to the lace lining of my panties. He pulled them off, ripping the lace on them in a rush to get them off of me._

 _"Slow down there, tiger," I laughed, throwing my head back._

 _He chuckled._

 _I let myself lay in bliss as he planted kisses all over my bodies, and at one point I closed my eyes._

 _Now, this would have been the perfect night with the starcrossed boy of my dreams, if it wasn't for the flaming arrow breaking through the small window and hitting me in the thigh._

 _Theo jumped off of me in an instant and his head darted towards the broken window._

 _"THEOOOOO!" I wallowed, eyes tearing up at the excruciating pain I had felt from the scolding arrow ripping tendons as it entered the tender skin of my thigh._

 _"Hunters…" He whispered, just before he ducked as another arrow came in. This time it hit bed, right beside the previous shot. In an instant, the bed blew up into a cascading flame dance._

 _I broke the arrow, it's head still in my leg, and rolled my naked body over onto the floor._

 _I let out a loud scream as my face met the carpet, and rolled over so I could try to see what ws going on. Theo was throwing his pants on. Why was he throwing his pants on?_

 _"THEO!" I screamed. "HELP ME!" He looked to me quickly, and then darted back to the window. Another arrow came sailing in and hit the bedroom door. That blew up in flames too, and that's when I started to freak out._

 _My body was pounding with adrenaline, which masked the pain of the fatal wound in my leg._

 _"THEO!" I screamed again, but he just continued to dress himself. A few tears escaped as I tried to prop myself up. A pool of blood started to form underneath my thigh. This would have been a vampire's heaven._

 _"Oh God…" I murmured, looking down to it. The skin bubbled from the heat of the air and the fire on the bed sheets beside me. I could see the black tip of the arrowhead still embedded into my skin, but I couldn't look at the wound for more than a few seconds before turning away in disgust._

 _"Theo! You have to help me!" I begged, "I can't make it out of here… you have to help me…"_

 _Up until that point, I had no doubt in my mind that my secret werewolf boyfriend would help carry me out of a burning building—potentially saving my life, but now that I thought about it, I didn't really know the gorgeous teen. I didn't know him at all. I only knew his body._

 _He had some sort of internal dilemma as he looked from the woods where the hunters were, back into the burning building where we stood. The flame completely engulfed the room now, and there was no way we could get out of here without a few battle wounds. It was too chaotic._

 _He looked then from me, to my jacket, then back to me._

 _"Sorry sweetheart…" He apologized with the cute pet name, as if that would make up for his act of violence. He snatched up the leather jacket, reached into the pockets, and fished for the vile._

 _He picked it up, holding to up to the light like it were a hundred dollar bill to make sure it was real, then gave me one last look before he wolfed out and dashed out of the room._

 _"Theo…." I couldn't believe it "THEO!" How could I have been so naïve? How could I have trusted someone like him? What did I do to deserve this?_

 _It hurt so bad. So damn bad. Not the betrayal, but the bleeding and the stinging. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to sleep and never wake up, but the boiling of my skin kept me alive. I wrapped my arms around myself, as if that would protect me from the flames. They grew and grew and grew, and in that moment I had never hated the color orange so much._

 _"HELP ME!" I screamed, hoping maybe the hunters would hear. The skin around my toes blackened, and the flesh around my legs roasted. "HELLLP!"_

 _The stinging pain moved in strip-like sheets as it moved past every layer of my skin. Eventually, I didn't feel anything. Eventually, the last nerve had been seared alive. I couldn't move anything. My hand's, my toes, I couldn't feel the pain in my leg. The tears dried from my eyes. My hair burnt off in thin clumps and I was left lying there._

 _I was left lying naked in an abandoned house, being burned alive by my own kind, left behind by someone who I had put so much trust into._

 _"THEOOOO!" I bellowed one last time, before the flames engulfed me and I fell into an eternity of darkness._


	3. Chapter 3

I thought going with a suburban bungalow with a small basement in the middle of town was a good choice. Last time's tactic involved me trying to lay low as much as possible in a small creepy apartment—just where you'd expect a vampire to hang out. This time, I was surrounded by neighbors. Lots and lots of annoying neighbors. So far I had observed the old lady next door, the couple with a three year old across the street, and adjacent to me was a nurse and her son living in a house much too large for two people.

I had moved in quite quickly—especially for having no furniture or personal items—besides the clothes on my back and the dagger I still, to this day, kept lodged in my boot. Somehow that thing had survived the fire. The wooden handle burnt off, but I had reconstructed it.

The house was small— but perfectly sized for me. The living room had glass walls with curtains—which as pointless because there wasn't much of a view besides the nurse's house and a bit of the forest in the back yard. That was another reason I chose this house. The forest was easily accessible. Everything was pretty easily accessible. The town wasn't too small, but not too big either. I deduced the need for a car, choosing to run on foot most of the time because the amount of foliage. After stealing most of my items, I found the need to spend a solid day decorating interiorly.

So that was my past two days. Yep, only two days. Perks of being a vampire, I suppose.

And….. in kicked the boredom.

The second my feet kicked onto the coffee table, I groaned. My room was all decorated, with thick quilts and black curtains, my living room had one of those L-shaped couches and a television, as well as a coffee table and a person-size lamp, I had scored myself a cell phone, even. Not that I called anyone. All my friends were long gone. I mostly just liked the games on it anyways.

What to do to entertain myself now? Enduring in high school sounded boring. Getting a job seemed useless considering I didn't really need money to get what I want. Hunting was an option—but I preferred the human blood over animals. I could get a dog…. But the last dog I got I killed. Note to self—never give a month old vampire a puppy as a gift. I had to do something… otherwise people would get suspicious of the 18 year old neighbor moving in by herself and staying home from school.

The last town I was in had lots to do. There were plenty of diners, casino's, movie theatres. There were clubs to go to—none of those here. There was no forest either. Only concrete. I had run into a nest of vampires during the beginning of the month too, but they were all hundreds of years old which singled me out from joining them. I was more of a lone wolf anyways.

I always have been.

* * *

Once nightfall came I started my journey towards the hospital. I had found another good use for my phone— a gps. I had no idea where anything was in this freaking town, so it was good to have a cellular device guide your way. You think I could find it by scent, but not here. The musky smell of the woods covered it up… and the lingering stench of blood. I'm not sure why it smelt like that, but it did. This town just made me more and more curious.

My stomach growled as I walked up to the huge sign reading 'Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital'. I needed to stock up on blood. I had a vacant freezer at home with its name on it.

The second I set foot in the sliding doors of the hospital the scent of blood hit me. And cleaner. I hated the smell of disinfectant… It was a thousand times more prominent when you were as undead I was. My eyes were watering from the smell, and the hunger.

Even for only being a vampire for a year, the blood still got to me. I had attacked numerous innocents in a result of me not being able to control the bloodlust. So when my eyes burned a bright red, it didn't surprise me. I just took a seat, closed my eyes, and counted to ten as I exercised my breathing.

"Are you okay sweetie?"

I looked up to the melodious voice, batting my lashes a few times as I felt the hot hand press into my shoulder.

"Hmm? Yeah." I looked to the nurse dressed in scrubs and recognized her to be my neighbor. "Yeah I'm good…"

I hoped the color of blood had faded from my eyes by now.

"Good, just checking on you," She smiled. She tucked a dark curl behind her ear as she squeezed my shoulder once. "Hey do I recognize you?" her face grew bemused.

I nodded a small smirk on my lips. "Yeah… Well no. Not yet." I stood up, holding my hand out to her. "I believe I'm your neighbor. Tatum Mikaelson."

"Tatum," She nodded, making a perplexed face. She took my hand after repeating my name once more. "I like the name. It's different. Mom or dad name you?"

"Uhh…" To be honest I wasn't sure. "Mom, I think? I'm not too sure," I answered honestly, "It's a weird name, I know."

"Oh goodness no!" She shook her head in an apologetic way, "No not at all, I love it." She gave me another close-lipped smile which made my insides go all fuzzy. It was the look a child longed for. "I'd love to meet your parents one day. Maybe we could organize a dinner sometime."

"Oh," I responded awkwardly, tucking a strand of brunette behind my ear, "Ah… actually it's just me."

"What?" Her eyes grew wide.

"Yeah," I rocked back and forth on my heels. "Just me. Plain old me." I licked my lips, "My mother died right after I was born. I never really knew her.

She paused, waiting for me to continue about my father as the empathetic look remained etched across her face, but after a few seconds of silence, she nodded in respect. "I'm so sorry Tatum. That's heartbreaking."

I shrugged. "It's nothing to miss, I suppose. I never knew her. My father never talked about her either."

She seemed taken aback by my apathetic explanation. "Well, still doesn't mean you can't come over for dinner one night. I'm usually working night shifts here, but my first night off, I'll be sure to staple my son to his chair so we can have a meal together. Besides! It'd be nice to have someone show you around your school."

I bit my lip.

"You ARE going to school… right?"

I paused for a second, internally groaning. "Oh of course! Yeah, of course I am," I waved her off. "I'm enrolling tomorrow. Mhm." Vampirism didn't take away the awkwardness of my personality.

"Well anyways, I should return to work," She deduced as a breathless man went rolling past her. "I'm Melissa by the way.. Melissa McCall." She nodded. "And my son is Scott. But he's not here at the moment… obviously…" she laughed nervously. "He's umm… doing something teenagerish. Homework or something."

"Do teenagers ever do homework these days?" I raised a brow and elbowed her a little to win her affection. The more people I knew here, the more I would fit in.

She let out a small chuckle before dismissing me and returning to the reception desk. I watched her for a moment, typing away at the computer, before she wandered off down a hallway towards the entrance.

I sat quietly as I regained myself, and just as I stood, a loud squeaking noise manifested adjacent to me down the hall. I could see a figure sprinting down the corridor, his adidas shoes leaving muddy prints as he stumbled towards the reception desk.

He slammed his palms on the table, and he started chattering away to the employee at the desk.

I cocked my head as a familiar scent filmed my nostrils.

It was the stranger in front of me. I had smelt that before. Their scent was musky, like campfire. There was a stale scent of cheap cologne and the smell of rain, which was something I always enjoyed. The scent of the blood was metallic-smelling… The aroma was clean, crisp, mouth watering. I felt my salivary glands start to do their job, and I shut my eyes again.

The scent was recognizable, but from where? I didn't know anyone.

Ms. McCall came back from the corner she had come from, and I watched her put a hand on the strangers shoulder. When the stranger whipped around, I froze.

It was the innocent teenager from the other night. The one who I had let go. The one with the blue jeep. Was this town that small? How on earth had I seen the only person I had met again. I guess it wasn't that weird; but panic mode still set in.

I immediately drew up my hood and started to walk away, but I still eavesdropped on the conversation they were having as I darted down another hall.

 _"Melissa! Please… God, thank you. Please tell these people that my dad's the sherriff." He begged the woman. "He's covered under medical… I mean… he-he should be covered."_

 _"Stiles, calm down," Melissa urged him with a sigh._

What kind of name was Stiles? I had definitely misheard that.

Speaking in a quieter town, Melissa added " _I texted Scott. He's gonna get here as soon as he can. I can call Malia…"_

 _"Is there anyone else we need to notify?" Another nurse interrupted, "A next of kin?"_

 _There was a long pause before the teen replied with "No… It's me. It's just me…"_

After that, all went quiet.

I shook my head and continued towards my destination of the blood bank. It was in the surgical wing—for obvious reasons of blood transfusions.

I tightened my backpack around my shoulder, clutching the strap close to my chest as I moved past a group of nurses in the hallway. I could see the room from the end of the hallway once I turned the corner. This hospital was pretty damn busy for 11:00pm on a Tuesday. I fast-walked past a waiting room and entered the secured door that read "employees only". I broke the lock with my thumb and with one last glance back, I closed the door. I switched on the light to the cold room and looked around at the room full of blood. There were shelves and shelves of blood bags.

It was a vampire's dream. So easily accessible…

It smelt so good, so mouth watering.

I was hungry already.

My stomach gurgled once again, and I decided I couldn't wait any longer. I grabbed an A positive that was nearest to me and bit into the bag after a quick transformation. It was cold—which was actually pretty un-appetizing, but it flowed down my throat with such viscosity it made me yearn for more. I threw the bag into the trash and grabbed another bag.

I drank that bag clean too.

I wasn't even feeling close to full, either.

Another three bags later, I deduced that I had been in here long enough. I could spend all night in here if I had really wanted to though.

I started swiping bags from shelves to pour into my backpack, and they all made light sloshing noises as they swayed back and forth while I moved. Once my backpack literally couldn't be zipped any tighter, I made my exit.

I closed the door, waiting for the click, and tried to reassemble the broken lots to the best of my efforts.  
It wasn't really working, though, so I shrugged and gave up when I saw a doctor starting towards me. I grabbed my compact from my pocket and lifted it up to my face. I never wore make up, but the use for a mirror was a necessity when you were an undercover vampire. I ran my tongue around my teeth once then smiled into the mirror. No stains. I was good. I popped it back into my pocket and descended back from where I came from; shuffling past the young doctor.

Distress. I smelled distress.

When I made it back to the waiting room I looked around. This was a bloody hospital. Everyone was distressed, but someone's scent stood out more than the others.

Ah! That damn kid.

It was the teenager again.

Only this time he looked vulnerable. He looked broken. He looked more innocent then the first time I had seen him. He had tears in his eyes, and he massaged his hands together as his head hung low. His foot tapped on the ground, and he licked his lips repeatedly in a nervous habit. Kind of felt bad for the kid. It was probably his dad. I could've helped him, but I didn't feel that bad.

I pivoted, and the second my face whipped around, I smacked into a nurse.

My backpack felt to the floor, luckily still zipped, but the loud 'smack' it made from the inconspicuous items inside of it caught the attention of most of the waiting room.

"Sorry!" She apologized, picking my backpack up and handing it back to me. "Boy!" she commented obnoxiously, in a chirpy voice, "What you got in there? A ton of bricks?"

I rolled my eyes and turned back around to book it out of the room before the boy saw me.

"HEY!" Too late.

"Shit!" I cursed under my breath. I grumbled, and started to fast walk.

Of course when I wanted there to be lots of people in the hallway, there wasn't. I started to speed up to a slight jog when I realized the boy was still following me.

I hissed under my breath when I turned another corner towards the entrance and ran into another fragile body. With enough force, I was able to break someone's spine, but I was speed-walking pretty gently.

"Oh God! Tatum, I'm so sorry honey." When she realized my backpack had fallen on the floor, she had snatched it up for me. "Here you go—woah." She commented, just as the last mortal had. "So heavy." She giggled, "Feels like my son's bag of textbooks!"

I gave an awkward but rushed laughed.

"Oh!" She exclaimed "Stiles! I was just looking for you."

He slowed down to a stop as he came towards us, panting. "Wait…." He breathed exasperatedly. "You two… know… each other?" He pointed back and forth between the both of us.

"I uhh…" I couldn't do anything but stare at the boy, bug-eyed. I had never come face to face with one of my previous meals before.

"She's our new neighbor," she patted my back lightly, and turned to Stiles with a smile.

His arms flailed wildly in the air, just like they did the first night I met him, and he collapsed into a chair nearby. "Oh. Good. Great…." He sighed into his hands. He turned back to Melissa with excitement, but tears still lingered in his whiskey-colored eyes. "Wait. Is he okay?" He asked eagerly, "Did he make it? Can I see him?"

That serious? Damn. I tried to escape as the conversation but the second I snuck a foot away, the boy, Stiles, pointed at me. "Hey! You! No. You stay right there." He tried to demand as he sniffled.

I rolled my eyes. In a town this small and this coincidental, I was bound to see the boy again. Might as well try some mind compulsion on him again anyways.

"Melissa…" He urged again when she didn't speak.

"He's fine," She answered finally. "You'll have to wait for the anesthesia to wear off in two hours before you see him."

"I-Is he gonna be okay though? I mean… is he okay?"

She smiled, nodding at the teen. "Mhm. He's gonna be just fine," She reassured with a surprised smile.

It was as if a weight double the size of Stiles' body had floated off of him. He melted into the chair, and placed his hand on top of his head in relief. "Oh thank God…" He breathed. "Thank God…" he breathed again.

"I'll leave you alone," Melissa smiled, stalking off gracefully.

He was quiet for a moment, letting his head rest on his hands.

"Ill… leave you too…" I started tiptoeing away.

"Woah woah woah hey!" He held a hand out towards me. "No. Not you. Get back here."

I sighed, making my eye roll obvious, and dropped my backpack onto the floor beside him.

"Take a seat," he demanded. I groaned, knowing I didn't have to listen to the boy but I actually felt pity for his dad's almost near-death experience or whatever. Plus, I was bored.

"You…." He muttered, stabbing a finger at me, "You….."

"Me…." I responded making a face. Maybe I could still play the whole 'I don't know you' thing. "Sorry, who are you?"

"HA! Aha. Good one."

Maybe not.

"Look. Stiles, right?" I asked, still double-checking I had heard.

He nodded, eyes falling into thin slights and brows drooping into a glare.

"Stiles… I…" My eyes drifted as I pondered for something to say. "Yeah… I got nothing. This has never really happened before, to be honest." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"You dented my jeep!" He yelled quietly so only I could hear.

I bit my lip, shrugging again. "Well if that's really only what you're mad about…" I started to stand up again. He pushed me back down.

I clenched my jaw in frustration, waiting for the boy to continue so I could get this over with and go home and eat.

"Could we speed this up?" I asked politely, "I'm a tad hungry. I'm sure you don't want to get in my way again." I smirked coyly at him.

The second his heart beat stuttered in fear, my eyes flew to his chest, and he noticed.

"You're scared." I stated, my eyes lifting to his again.

He looked frustratingly shocked. His brows knitted together and his jaw hung open. "Are you serious? You took a chunk out of my neck and you expect me not to be scared of you?"

I held up a finger. "Ah! If you were that scared you wouldn't be speaking to me right now though."

"Trust me, I've seen some shit." He made a face, "You're not the first creature with fangs I've seen around here."

I cocked a brow. "There's other creatures with fangs here?"

He crossed his arms. "Well that's really none of your business. And I'll have you know I'm not particularly fond of you so I'm not telling you anyway."

In pure curiosity, my hand flew to his chin, and I forced him to face me. His chocolate eyes met my emerald-colored ones.

I squeezed his cheeks with my thumb and pointer finger and narrowed my eyes, waiting for my pupils to dilate and his to do the same in response.

"Who else is supernatural in this town?" I asked.

A few seconds of silence preceded his reaction to smack my hand out of the way. "Why do you keep doing that? I mean your eyes are nice, but they aren't _that_ nice that I'm just going to spill all my secrets to a blood-sucking stranger who attacked me!" His voice grew louder as he neared the end of his sentence.

I shifted back a few inches on the bench.

"Do you where cologne?" I asked, my lips pursing.

He nodded, "Hugo Boss, why?" Definitely a lie, it smelled much cheaper, but not what I was looking for.

"Wear any jewelry?"

He shook his head. "Why are you—"

"You a tea drinker?"

He nodded, "A cup a day keeps the doctor away!" He exclaimed proudly.

I shook his comment off, focusing on the fact that he had responded yes.

"What kind?"

He shrugged, "Some herbal tea, I don't know."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "That's why…" I said under my breath.

"What?" He asked, "What's why?" I didn't respond, "What's why?!"

Vervain. He was drinking vervain tea. It was the only thing that blocked us vampires out. It was a rare potent herb that entitled human's to free will. If we ingested it, we would burn or become inherently weak. It was terrible. It must have been a very small amount otherwise I wouldn't have been able to drink his blood the other night.

"Well," I clapped, standing up, "Good talking to you Miles." I gave him a cheekish smirk before striding off.

"Stiles!" He corrected, standing up, "Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you!"

I pivoted hastily and forced my eyes to glaze a bright red to scare the teen. "But I'm done with you." I threatened. "I'm hungry. So back off."

He stumbled back a few steps, his eyes wide as he backed up. "Yes… okay… I'm sorry…" his heartbeat was running a mile a minute. It was all I could hear as I exited the hospital and I could still hear it half way through the parking lot. It was loud, deep, and it filled my ears with excitement at the thought of biting into warm flesh, instead of these rancid-tasting bags. I would hold off on the live feeding for a while though. At least until I figured out who the other fanged creatures in this town were, and figured out who in this town had vervain.

Time to do a little investigating.


	4. Chapter 4

_Does she know that we bleed the same?_

* * *

When I felt fancy, putting a bag of blood in a wine glass made me feel like I wasn't completely a monster. More like I was just some recent college grad sitting in front of the TV, mindlessly sipping on a glass of wine; which was what I would've been doing if it wasn't for the unfortunate status of being deceased.

I swirled the crimson liquid in the glass around a few times, then raised the cold goblet to my puckered lips. Small sips helped the cravings. Small sips also helped me control it. It wasn't so difficult anymore, I just mostly felt like a hormonal pregnant soon-to-be mom, except my only craving involved ripping people's neck's open.

I kicked my feet up, lounging against the L-shaped sofa while I let my ears drift off to something other than the re-run of Jersey Shore on my television.

' _And then I straight up asked Angela… Did you sleep with Isaiah? Wanna know what she said? No. She straight up lied to my face. She knows I've been in love with him since junior year. She's so supposed to be my friend.'_

Boring.

Like I was channel surfing, I eavesdropped on the next neighbor.

 _'We have to start Christmas shopping early this year, I'm telling you.'_ A male voice said. _'If we get it done early then we'll beat the rush and we won't have to stress about the mortgage. We just have to budget, and space it all out every two weeks.'_

I rolled my eyes.

' _Let's be honest, Stiles, was he still really your best friend?'_

Oh for fuck's sake.

Not that kid again.

' _You're gonna let my father die?'_ God dammit. Yup. Definitely him.

' _If I wanted him to die I wouldn't have told you where you could find him."_

Damn, there was some cryptic stuff going on with this kid. I had to keep tabs on him. Something was going on in this town, and something told me the kid that I had fed off of was the epicenter of it.

 _'Then why are they saying his body is shutting down?'_ The kid's voice was soft. I was too far to hear his heartbeat, but by the tone I could tell he clearly didn't trust this man. He never changed, pitch, nor did his emotion change. ' _That some toxins poisoned him? And that they don't know how to stop it?'_ he accused the anonymous other.

' _I'm not the bad guy Stiles…'_ The bad guy always said that. I raised the glass to my lips again, lifting my eyebrows to myself at the goldmine of eavesdropping I had just discovered. ' _I'm just a realist. I'm a survivor!'_ The stranger continued. ' _If you knew the things that I know_ —"

' _Yeah? Well what do you know?'_ The Stiles boy challenged.

' _I know what's coming. I know what the dread doctor's created. And I know what Parrish is.'_

I spat the mouthful of blood back into my glass.

The what? Had I heard that right? Dread Doctor's. Whatever they were, it didn't sound pleasant. I grabbed a piece of scrap paper from the kitchen drawer, whizzing over to it, and began to write things down.

 _Dread Doctors_

 _Parrish_

Who the hell was Parrish? What the hell was Parrish? This town just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

' _Lydia figured it out. I saw it in her memories.'_ The stranger said.

' _Right after you drove her out of her mind,_ ' Stiles continued.

I scribbled the name Lydia down on the paper, and picked up the glass to continue my lunch.

There was a long pause before the other teen continued. ' _Collateral damage'_ I could practically feel the smirk on the evil S.O.B's face. Whoever this kid was, I liked him. Seemed like kind of an asshole, yeah, but he also seemed like he didn't give two shit's about what Stiles thought. Very similar to my very own personality. _'But if she's right about Parrish…Then thing's around here are gonna get a lot worse.'_

 _'I don't care.'_

 _'You should.'_ The voice cut off. My eye twitched at the aggressiveness of this stranger's voice. It was very familiar to me. The tone was so stern, the voice was so clear. I had heard it before. I think… It just sounded recognizable. ' _Cuz if your dad does survive, he's not going to be sheriff of anything much longer.'_

My forehead fell into my hands. Leave it to me to feed on the Sherriff's son. If there was one thing I learned about migrating constantly across North America, it was that the Sherriff's of small town's crawling with supernatural ALWAYS knew about the creatures that went bump in the night.

Nothing I couldn't take care of. Besides, he sounded like he was pretty comatose right now anyways.

' _What's happening to him?'_ It was the only time I had heard the boy's voice go weak. Moving swiftly, being the impatient vampire that I was, I sped over to the dark curtains, and swept one of them to the side as I peered over at my neighbor's house, where Stiles' voice was radiating from.

I couldn't see anything; I could only see a half a back turned to me. The legs of the stranger were concealed by foliage decorating the McCall's front lawn. He wore a black t-shirt, and looked a little younger than myself by the looks of it.

I saw the body twitch, and then pivot to exit the house.

' _HEY TELL ME.'_ The aggressiveness in last night's dinner startled me, and I jumped a bit.

I saw the black-shirt figure lung forward, and then there was a boisterous crash.

I winced, and then watched as the figure exited the house, walking hastily from the front door.

My eyes scrutinized over the teenager who ran a hand through his bronze hair. He was completely gorgeous. His hair was gelled neatly back, the sides cleanly shaven. He had a light brush of stubble along his chiseled jaw line, and the smirk he fashioned reminded of the one I was often clad in. I would've pounced on the striking teen as soon as I had the chance, if it wasn't for the fact that he was Theo fucking Raeken.

I could feel my blood boil.

My fists tightened to the point where I was drawing blood. Blood seeped from my palms where my nails were pressed deeply in them, and the drops of red felt to the floor, staining the beige carpet.

My teeth clenched, my brows furrowed. My normally calm and pleasant demeanor was replaced with all consuming rage. With nostrils flared, and eyes falling into thin slits, I raced to my front door.

My indignant demeanor sailed hastily across the lawn dividing my property from the McCall's.

With a quick glance around, to ensure no one else was watching, I sped over to him, inhuman speed of course, and slammed into him.

Before he even had the chance to recognize something was in his peripheral, I place both bloody palms against his black shirt, and with all the strength I had I slammed him in the chest, sending him flying away from me, and crashing onto a silver Toyota, leaving a Theo-sized dent on the hood.

He groaned, rolling off onto the drive way, and I whipped around to kneel next to him. I grabbed the collar of his black polo shirt, scooping him up to meet me, and met his shocked expression with a wide grin.

"Miss me Raeken?" I cocked a brow, straddling myself on top of him and throwing a curtain of dark hair over my shoulder.

I lifted a fist high in the air, and let it fall, connecting with his chin.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, coughing.

His eyes were still wide, his mouth ajar, and his arms above his head as he struggled to sit up, to get a better look.

"Never thought I'd see your gorgeous face again," I smirked, lifting the other hand to punch him.

I heard a set of single footsteps coming from the house, and knew that I would have to flee soon, or be perpetually questioned by the pale boy with ADHD.

"H-How?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Are you really that naïve? That bloody stupid Theo?" I snatched the collar of his shirt up, sitting up as I lifted his torso, and then slammed him against the cement.

There was a deafening crack as his skull fractured against the cold cement, and I saw the blood start to pool.

He would heal, unfortunately.

He groaned, blinking back the tears in his eyes.

"How are you so strong?" His split lip quivered.

I could sense the spastic presence behind me, but he did nothing to stop me from beating the living shit out of Theo.

In a flash, he whipped out a set of claws with one free hand. He _almost_ caught me off guard.

I wrapped my left hand around his wrist, and shook my head, wagging a finger with my free hand. "ah-ah." I shook my head. "Bad Theo."

The boy behind me snorted.

I could hear his heartbeat in his chest spike. I could smell the fear oozing off of him like sweat on a teen who had just finished football practice. It felt good to have this much power. I felt strong. Theo Raeken, afraid of me… Something I had only ever dreamed of.

I moved my knee off of him, standing erect from my previous straddling position, and dusted myself off.

I frowned, glancing down at my crème-coloured tank. I pinched the bottom of the tank, stretching it in front of me, seeing the spots of red dotting under my breasts.

"God Dammit, you got my shirt all bloody." I pouted. "I guess I'll add that to the list of things you owe me."

"I-"

"Get up." I interrupted him.

He made no effort to move. The shock had clearly set in, and he just stared. His eyes were wide, his blood-stained lips were shut, but he remained still, unblinking.

I turned my head around to gaze at the boy from last night.

His thick brows furrowed together, and he looked from Theo, to me; trying to understand the connection.

"Fancy seeing you here again, Miles." I teased, folding my arms over my chest.

"It's Stil—"

"Get up." I ordered Theo again.

Again, there was no attempt.

"Get. Up." I grinded my teeth together, eyes flashing a vivacious red. I could feel the veins underneath my eyes start to trickle down my face. My fangs protruded from my gums, stinging as I licked my teeth.

He hadn't realized it yet, and it was sad how giddy I was to see the reaction on his face when he realized that no, I wasn't dead. Yes, I was real, and I was a vampire.

I flashed over to him, yanking the dagger from my boot and holding it to his bare throat. "Get the hell up Theo Raeken or so help me—"

The boy behind me chimed in. "Woah oka—"

With daggers for eyes, I zeroed in on him and hissed.

He raised both hands in surrender and stepped back.

Theo's breathing seized, and his pulse stuttered. "Vampire…" He muttered.

I glared at him. "Why are you so surprised Mr. Wolf?"

He coughed again, spitting blood, and I pulled my dagger back for a second, allowing him to speak before I murdered the son of a bitch.

I wanted to feel his jugular between my teeth. I wanted to watch the blood pore from his neck. I wanted to see him bleed out; to watch the life drain from his body; to see the light abscond his eyes, to hear his last breath, his final heartbeat.

"You did this to me," I spat through gritted teeth. "You left me in that cabin to burn alive. I **_trusted_** you." I hissed with acid. I could feel my eyes burn a brighter red, and I bared my teeth at him. "You knew I took that blood that morning, and you just left me to die." I could feel the tears sting my strained eyes, and I bit my tongue to prevent me from screaming at him, from drawing more attention. "I screamed and screamed and screamed for you but you left me. You took the blood, to heal yourself, and I died."

I flipped the blade around in my hands, using a palm-thumb grasp, and stabbed him through the center of his right hand.

He let out a loud scream, one that was so satisfying to hear. It was bliss to my ears.

I saw Stiles twitch behind me, and I quickly turned my head to see him mouthing words to someone I couldn't see inside of the house. I raised a brow, but turned my attention back to a wailing Theo.

I retrieved my bloody dagger, replacing it back into my boot, and stood, bringing a wounded werewolf with me.

"Do you know what it feels like? To breathe in that superheated air? To feel it instantly cook your mouth, your throat, your lungs? Do you know what it's like to smell your own flesh being cooked, your hair being burnt to a crisp? And the pain, oh God, the pain. The sensation of every cell in your body being scalded, to feel your body blister and boil, to scream and have no one hear, and then finally, go numb as the last pain receptor in your body shrivels into a scalded mess." I stabbed him in the chest with my pointer finger.

"I-I'm s—"

"That's not the worst part. The worst part is going home. The worst part is the cravings, the unruly desire for bloodlust that is so freaking strong that you can't even control it front of your own family. The absolute worst part is having your own blood trying to shove a stake through your chest." I shoved his shoulders back, sending him stumbling. He seemed less fearful now, less confused, more curious if anything

"The only thing that kept me going, especially after the pair of hunter's on my ass trying to shove a stake made of mountain ash through my heart, was knowing that maybe, one day, if I was lucky… I would see you." I smirked at him, eyes going back to normal. "I guess God is real."

"That wasn't my fault." He argued, more confident now.

I could feel my body heat up in response, the red eyes returned, much faster this time, and I jerked forward in response, but a warm, human, hand on my shoulder stopped me.

I pivoted around to look at Stiles. "Did you just touch me?" I hissed at him, brows knitting together as I felt the veins creep even further down my face. "Shall we relive last night?"

He glared at me, and it frustrated me to see the lack of fear in his face. This clearly wasn't his first supernatural rodeo.

"Normally I wouldn't objectify to seeing Theo Raeken in a body bag."

"Then step aside." I growled back at him.

He sighed, releasing his hand from my shoulder.

"You're lucky I even let you **_live,_** " I stressed to him.

"Trust me, that's one of the eight wonders I have about you, but right now I have bigger problems, one that involves that son of a gun. Besides, he's gone anyways." He lifted his arm, pointed with his hand behind me to a bloody mess on the concrete, but nothing more. No Theo.

I groaned, throwing my arms up in the air. "Is that your super power? To literally annoy the hell out of me to the point where I have to debate attacking you again?"

"That's no superpower, just a natural talent, and surprisingly you're not the first person to tell me that."

I grabbed him by the throat, pushing him against the vehicle and pressing my body to his, trapping him between me and the car. "Don't ever come between me and what I want again."

He seemed less frightened then I had hoped, but the trepidation was apparent in his heartbeat.

I opened my mouth to say something again, but was jostled to the floor by a brawn individual, who now had me pinned to the concrete.

I flared my nostrils, shying away from the rancid smell of the werewolf on top of me. His hands were pinning my arms above my head, and his legs straddled my waist. His eyes flashed a deep red, much more alarming then mine, then flashed back to a dark brown.

"Alpha werewolf hey?" I sneezed, "That's why it smells so terrible over here."

It smelled like sour milk, or moldy pizza. There was a sharpness to it that was so pungent it made me gag. Alpha's always had a certain smell to them, much more heady then the beta's.

"Scott, get off of her it's fine." He sighed, folding his arms across his plaid shirt.

The wolf growled, removing himself from my lean figure.

I smirked at him, "Good boy, listening to your master." I loved teasing werewolves, short tempered and aggressive. Although, this one only fired me a malevolent glower as oppose to the growl from the loss of control I was used to with werewolves. I stood from the ground, feeling my face transition back to normal, and faced the two teens.

The alpha was quite physique. He had a neat mop of brown hair on his head, matching his doe-brown eyes. His skin was an even tan color, and his jaw was crooked ever so slightly to his left. He was definitely not bad on the eyes.

"How do you know this chick?" The alpha, Scott, asked. "And what… is she?" Hmm, he'd never encountered a vampire before. Must be a youngin'. He appeared to be pretty experienced though, even if he was only a teenager.

Stiles sighed, with a slight eye roll. "Long story that I'd rather not get into right now. Now if you don't mind I have more important things to do."

He turned to walk around to the driver's side of the vehicle, but in a millisecond I flashed over, blocking him from entering through the driver's side.

He groaned loudly, stomping his feet like a toddler. "Please move." He asked monotone.

"Sure, after you explain what the hell is going on in this town, and whatever the hell a 'dread doctor' is." I finger quoted.

Scott gulped loudly from the other side of the vehicle.

"Please." Stiles repeated. "Move."

I rolled my eyes. This whole scenario was getting boring. I stepped aside, letting him enter the vehicle, and watched as he locked the doors from the inside, disregarding his friend who yanked the passenger handle frantically.

"Stiles!" he called out in frustration.

"Yeah, I can do the rest myself." He fumbled with the keys in his pocket.

I raised a brow, "Trouble in paradise?"

I received a glare from both of them, earning a smirk from myself, and watched the rest of the scene play out.

"Do you even know where you're headed?" He yanked the door handle again, "Come on, let me help. I can find the clues that you can't."

Ignoring the werewolf, he pushed the keys into the ignition, letting the vehicle roar to life, and shifted into drive. The brakes squealed as he released them, but then screeched louder when he slammed on them seconds later as the wolf used himself as a shield to prevent the boy from driving away.

Stiles sighed loudly.

"You can't do this alone! Okay? You need me. You need all of us. I can get more help. I can text Liam."

Stiles, clearly done with the werewolf, sighed again. His eyes fell into thin slits, as one of his hands fell from the steering wheel. "Liam just tried to kill you…"

"Okay then at least let me help!" He contoured.

Stiles' head nodded my way, "I'd rather have her help."

"Hmph," I smiled triumphantly.

"Come on Stiles, I don't need to know the whole story. All that matters right now is your dad. We survived an Alpha pack, a dark druid, professional assassins… we can survive dread doctor's and chimera's too."

 _Chimeras._

I had heard of those before. I had hunted those before. Chimera's where hybrids. I remember reading about them in Greek Mythology. It was a fire-breathing she-monster in Greek mythology that had a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.

Stiles' head dropped, his eyes scanning over something in the car, and he paused before lifting his head again. "They're not looking for a missing chimera… They're looking for a missing teenager." He spoke of it like he had just realized some enormous epiphany.

Stiles shifted into drive again, disregarding Scott as he bumped his friend in the hip with the Toyota.

Scott stepped aside, and we both watched awkwardly as the vehicle pulled out of the driveway hastily, taking a sharp left, and speeding down the road.

We were left in silence for a long while. My mind was gyrating around the topics I had just heard, the names. The mention of dread doctors. I pivoted to the alpha beside me and plastered a fake smile, "Name's Tatum Mikaelson, by the way, pleased to meet your acquaintance."

The boy sighed, his eyebrows raised as he scanned me. He stuck his tongue into the side of his check and shook his head, turning back to the empty road ahead of us.

"Better get used to me, teen wolf, I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot more of you lately…"

* * *

 **A/N: Long time since I've updated this fic. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!**


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